Accessible and inclusive funding means:
✔️ No equity is taken
✔️ No repayments on funds
✔️ Applications take an hour or less
✔️ Language support is available
✔️ Support sessions walk you through questions before you apply
✔️ Selection committee undergoes subconcious bias training
✔️ Selection committee mirror applicant demographics on ethnic identity, LGBTQ2SA+, and immigrant status
Accessible and inclusive programming means:
✔️ All sessions are recorded with closed captioning and language translation option (see here for how to)
✔️ Mentor ethnic identity and immigrant status mirror member demographics
✔️ All panel mentorship sessions reflect member demographic
Where do we go from here? True accessibility and inclusion is an ongoing evolution and takes consistent commitment to learning (and unlearning) on how we can be better. As we grow into our next year, here are the areas that we're working on:
✨ Increasing our LGBTQ2SA+ Mentors
✨ Language diverse mentors (with a priority for French and Spanish speaking mentors)
✨ Internet independent programming for members who do not have access to stable internet
Have some ideas on how we can make Founders Fund more accessible and inclusive? Email us at hello@foundersfund.ca
